There are instances of erectile impotence in which the patient does not respond to more conventional therapy, and the surgical implanting of a penile prosthesis is the only practical means of remedying the impotency.
The most common type of implantable penile prosthesis is a pair of identical rods of suitable stiffness. Each of the rods is surgically implanted into a corpus cavernosum of the penis. The implant disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,073 is a rod-type penile prosthesis of considerable popularity which has a relatively stiff proximal portion for anchoring the implant, a relatively stiff and longer distal portion for implanting in the pendulous penis and a flexible hinge joining the two portions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,202 an implant is disclosed which is a combination rod and inflatable prosthesis. The prosthesis consists of a pair of rods, preferably of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,073, which has a flexible sleeve positioned and sealed axially about an intermediate portion of the rod to form a chamber for pressurizing fluid. Each of the implants has a pressure bulb of pressurizing fluid connected by tubing to the chamber so that it can be pressurized and also a valve to depressurize the chamber. A penile erection is achieved by either pressurizing the chambers if a soft rod is used or by manually moving the implants to an erect position if a stiffer hinged rod is used. The implant has an advantage over the conventional rod implant in that the chamber can be pressurized to increase penile girth.